アウトソーシング
解説 Definition
業務やサービスを、自社の従業員ではなく外部の会社や専門家に任せる「外部委託」を表す名詞です。動詞 outsource「外部に委託する」の現在分詞でもあります。
Outsourcing is the practice of arranging for work, services, or business functions to be performed by an outside company or specialist instead of by an organization’s own employees. It is also the present participle of outsource.
使い方 Usage
- 名詞としては通常、a を付けず、choose outsourcing「外部委託を選ぶ」のように使います。 As a noun, outsourcing usually takes no indefinite article, as in choose outsourcing.
使い分け Common distinctions
- is outsourcing its support では、outsourcing は現在分詞で「サポートを外部委託している」を表します。 In is outsourcing its support, outsourcing is a present participle meaning that the company is arranging for outside support.
覚え方のコツ Memory Tip
out「外部」＋ source「調達する」に -ing が付いた形。顧客サポートやIT業務を社外の専門業者に任せる場面を思い浮かべましょう。
Think of out as outside and source as obtaining what is needed. Picture customer support or IT work being handled by a specialist outside the company.
例文
Outsourcing can reduce costs when it is managed carefully.
適切に管理すれば、アウトソーシングはコスト削減につながります。
They chose outsourcing because they needed technical help quickly.
彼らは技術的な支援を早く得る必要があったため、アウトソーシングを選びました。
outsourcing の類義語・関連語
outsourcing の語源・成り立ち Etymology
out（外へ）+ source（源）+ -ing（名詞化）から成る。sourceはラテン語surgere（湧き出る）が古フランス語を経て英語に入った語。関連語：resource（資源）、surge（急増）。「資源を外部から湧き出させる」が原義で、業務を外部に委託する意味に発展した。
Outsourcing is the gerund and present-participle form of outsource. The verb was formed in modern English from out- and source, in the business sense of obtaining goods, labor, or services from a supplier, plus the verbal ending. Source entered English through French from Latin surgere, “to rise.” In current usage, however, the compound is understood straightforwardly as obtaining work or resources from outside an organization.
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